Poutine

By Melissa Knific

Published May 14, 2024

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
About 2½ hours
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour, plus at least 1 hour soaking
Rating
4(110)
Comments
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Composed of freshly made French fries bathed in a rich, brown gravy and dotted with squeaky pieces of fresh cheese, poutine is a Canadian specialty with small town roots. Several restaurants claim to have invented the dish in rural Quebec, an area known for cheesemaking, either in the late 1950s or early ’60s. (In one story former restaurateur Fernand Lachance replied, “Ça va te faire une maudite poutine!”, slang for “That will make a damned mess!”, to a customer who requested cheese curds on fries. Another story links poutine to restaurant owner Jean-Paul Roy, who noticed customers were adding the curds, sold separately at his drive-in, to their fries.) Poutine has expanded beyond its rural beginning, and can be found topped with everything from bacon to duck confit. Here, the fries are made fresh (highly recommended), but frozen packaged fries can be used in a pinch. Layer poutine a bit like you would nachos, except start with cheese on the bottom of the dish, followed by the fries, more cheese and, finally, the gravy. 

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

FOR THE FRIES AND ASSEMBLY

  • 3 pounds russet potatoes (about 5 large)

  • Vegetable oil, for frying (about 7 cups)

  • 2 cups (8 ounces) white Cheddar cheese curds (see Tip)

  • Salt and black pepper

FOR THE GRAVY

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • ½ small shallot, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)

  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 ½ cups low-sodium beef stock or broth

  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock or broth

  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs

  • 2 tablespoons ketchup

  • 2 teaspoons cider or distilled white vinegar

  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

52 grams carbs; 23 milligrams cholesterol; 754 calories; 38 grams monosaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 57 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 1022 milligrams sodium; 12 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prep the potatoes: Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water. Peel potatoes, then slice them into ⅓-inch-thick planks. Slice each plank into fries, about ⅓-inch thick, and place in the water. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. (This helps rid the fries of excess starch.)

  2. Step 2

    Make the gravy: In a small pot over medium, melt the butter. Add shallot and garlic, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour. When combined, cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the beef and chicken stocks, thyme sprigs, ketchup, vinegar and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the gravy is thickened yet pourable and coats the back of a spoon, 7 to 9 minutes. Season with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, if desired. Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.

  3. Step 3

    Make the fries: Before heating the oil for frying, set out the cheese curds to allow them to come to room temperature. Fit a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a clip-on fry thermometer. Add enough oil to fill 2 to 3 inches. Heat over medium-high until the temperature of the oil reaches 325 degrees.

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, line a sheet pan with paper towels. Drain and rinse potatoes, then transfer to the prepared pan. Thoroughly blot the potatoes to rid them of excess water. Fit a second sheet pan with a wire rack.

  5. Step 5

    When the oil has come to temperature, add fries in batches to avoid overcrowding (this will take 3 or 4 batches). Fry until lightly golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a spider or a fine-mesh metal strainer to remove fries, allowing excess oil to drip back into the Dutch oven, and transfer them to the rack on the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining fries, working in batches and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature.

  6. Step 6

    After all the potatoes have been fried, increase the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees. Wipe off the first sheet pan and line it with new paper towels. Gently reheat the gravy over low heat, partially covered. When the oil has come to temperature, return the lightly browned fries to the Dutch oven, again working in 3 to 4 batches. Fry until dark golden brown and just crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the paper towels and sprinkle generously with salt. Repeat with the remaining fries.

  7. Step 7

    Assemble the poutine: Scatter half the cheese curds on the bottom of a large shallow bowl or platter. Top with the fries and the remaining cheese curds. Pour warm gravy over everything, removing thyme sprigs if desired. The cheese curds will soften but not melt. Eat immediately (with forks)!

Tip

  • Cheese curds, bite-sized pieces of young cheese solids that have been separated from the whey during the cheesemaking process, are a must for this recipe. Here, plain Cheddar curds are used (and traditional to poutine), but curds from other cheeses, including Monterey Jack and Colby, may be used, seasoned with various flavorings. Look for them in the refrigerated cheese section at supermarkets or at specialty cheese shops.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
110 user ratings
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Comments

bittersweetdb

I risk having to give up my Canadian passport by telling you this, but I'm in the boonies in California, and I have had the opportunity to make a completely reasonable poutine with frozen fries, Aldi cheese curds, and--believe it or not--Bisto vegetable gravy granules, available on Amazon. The Bisto gravy is vegan, so your vegan friends can still have fries and gravy. It's good gravy! I say this as someone who lived in Montréal for 8 years and ate my weight in poutine several times over.

Nancy from Montreal

Cheese on the bottom? Unheard of. (But worth trying. For science.) They won’t be quite as fresh as day-of, unrefrigerated cheese curds straight from the dairy, but some Wisconsin cheesemakers (like Gardner’s, which I recommend) will overnight excellent cheese curds to US locations and they often arrive still squeaky. (In Quebec, we often call curds or fromage en grains “le fromage squick-squick”—a beautiful onomatopoeia if ever there was one!)

Chris in Québec

Here in Québec the cheese is called "Fromage en grains" and sold absolutely and literally in every supermarket(épicerie), corner store(depanneur), Costco (in larger formats), Walmart, and other grocery stores. The sauce is also sold everywhere in cans and dry mixes. If ever you come to Québec, you cannot leave without trying our classic poutine. Merci beaucoup.

Horace Fundt

If you make the French Fries via the laborious but rewarding Heston Blumenthal method, the result will be beyond compare.

Craig Burdick

Added thick cut crispy uncured bacon and a tossed salad w/French dressing. Seaoned fries came from Millie's in Sarasota. Crisped them up in the air fryer. Full meal.

Ryan

Freezer crinkle cut are superior. You don’t need to grow your own potatoes to preserve their purity. The end product is smothered in gravy, salt, and cheese.

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